Latest Penn State Scandal News

The NCAA has taken a lot of criticism of late, and rightly so, with the Miami (Fla.) case feeding the fury of NCAA critics who howl for reform or the organization’s outright banishment. But news that the overlords of collegiate athletics gradually will restore scholarships for Penn State is a good move that should quell some NCAA critics. Look, the NCAA isn’t totally uncompromising. It has a conscience. It can backtrack. It has perspective. [ MORE: NCAA.com: Executive Committee to gradually restore Penn State scholarships ] Still, others will take a dim view of this news, thinking the NCAA should

Penn State released a statement Tuesday in response to the NCAA reducing scholarship restrictions on the football team. Read the full release in this post, plus watch our #BTNLive interview with Bill O’Brien. [ MORE: NCAA to gradually restore Penn State scholarships | Dienhart: NCAA made ‘correct call’ ] Here’s the full release: Penn State officials are gratified by the decision of the NCAA Executive Committee to modify the scholarship limitations previously imposed on the University under the consent decree between the University and the NCAA. This action, announced today, taken in recognition of Penn State’s significant progress under and

(AP) Penn State trustees took no formal vote but the vast majority of members voiced support Sunday for the university president’s acceptance of tough penalties imposed by the NCAA over the university’s handling of its child molestation scandal. Hear the Board of Trustees’ conference call: Board chairwoman Karen Peetz told fellow trustees during a Sunday evening conference call that the panel could not vote because 10 days’ notice of the meeting was required, an objection two members raised at the outset of the call. But more than two dozen members of the 32-member board then voiced support for President Rodney

I like Penn State’s decision to wear a blue ribbon to support all victims of child abuse, all as a result of the heinous Jerry Sandusky scandal that has brought the football program to its knees with crippling NCAA sanctions. But instead of wearing the ribbon on jerseys, I would affix a ribbon sticker on each side of the iconic Penn State helmet. That would have been a much more prominent area to display the ribbon, giving it more exposure and thus more of an impact. [BTN.com: Penn State announces changes to football uniform] US PRESSWIRE It’s important not to

(AP) Justin Brown is the second Penn State offensive starter to leave the team in the aftermath of NCAA sanctions. The senior wideout’s name was dropped from the roster Sunday when he decided to transfer to Oklahoma. He would have been a key target in the revamped passing game under new coach and former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. [AP: Penn State K/P Anthony Fera transfers to Texas] Nine players have now left the team the past week following the sanctions, which included a four-year bowl ban for the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. One of those players, though

News of star running back Silas Redd leaving Penn State for USC isn’t a shock, but it will be a blow to a Nittany Lion offense that already figured to be challenged even with Redd. The 5-10, 200-pound Redd—who is on the Doak Walker watch list–was primed to be the team’s top offensive playmaker this fall for an offense that again figured to struggle, especially through the air. [Read Redd’s statement to the media] Redd ranked fourth in the Big Ten last season in rushing, averaging 95.5 yards per game after carrying 244 times for 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns.

Star tailback Silas Redd is bolting Penn State for Southern California. The 1,200-yard rusher opted Tuesday to leave a Nittany Lions program facing stiff sanctions handed down by the NCAA in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Among the penalties was a four-year postseason ban. The NCAA gave Penn State players the option to transfer immediately and play for another school this year. Redd visited USC over the weekend and heard coach Lane Kiffin’s pitch to be a key cog for a Trojans team expected to be highly ranked and contend for the Pac-12 title. USC

The NCAA’s sanctions against Penn State rocked the program. And the effects will be felt for years. Scholarship cuts, postseason bans … the list went on. Another aspect of the penalties will allow any player on the Penn State roster to transfer to another school and be immediately eligible. Typically when a player transfers from one FBS school to another, he has to sit out a season. Not so for Nittany Lion players. Penn State can’t restrict a player from transferring. Those who wish to pursue a transfer simply need to notify the Penn State compliance office that they are

INDIANAPOLIS — Penn State football never will be the same. Not after today. Not after NCAA czar Mark Emmert strolled to the dais in the Palmer E. Pierce Room in the NCAA headquarters early on this Monday morning and delivered Penn State’s punishment for covering up the atrocities of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse case. The verdict was as severe as many expected. There were scholarship cuts, a postseason ban, vacating of victories and a massive financial penalty—among other sanctions. But honestly, it could have been worse. [BTN.com: Penn State football family reacts on Twitter] Penn State avoided the death

The NCAA dealt a series of heavy blows to the Penn State football program less than two weeks after a devastating report accused Joe Paterno and other top university officials of concealing child sex abuse allegations against a retired assistant coach. The NCAA sanctions include a $60 million fine with funds to be used for an endowment for non-university programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims as well as a dramatic cut in football scholarships. Watch the NCAA’s opening statement and Q&A video at the bottom of this post, and read the full list of sanctions at NCAA.org. Reaction